Although the practice of homesteading might mean different things to different people, the ultimate goal is to be able to live a more self-sufficient lifestyle by growing your own produce and raising animals to sustain your household.
A common misconception that individuals often believe is that you must live in the countryside with large acres of land to be able to properly engage in homesteading practices when, in actuality, city dwellers with a few pots of soil can also grow their own produce and learn how to preserve their food to make mouthwatering dishes that are better for your health and kinder to the planet.
Even if you’re not quite ready to commit to raising chickens in your backyard, you can still learn handy gardening skills that will give you a greater appreciation for where your food comes from and ensure that you’re not eating produce with unnecessary chemicals that can be harmful in the long term.
Here are eight homesteader books that will teach you how to lead a more sustainable and self-sufficient existence.
How to Survive Off the Grid
If you’d like to learn about what it takes to “go green” from a New York Times-bestselling author and survival expert, then pick up this concise and comprehensive guide to self-reliant living. You’ll be raising chickens, finding and pumping your own water and tending to bees in no time!
Mother Earth News Almanac
After being out of print since the 1970s, this almanac has been updated and is ready to help devoted DIYers and environmentally conscious readers learn to live self-sufficiently with tips that teach you how to grow a garden and harness solar energy.
You’ll also find illustrated guides that can teach you to expertly tie various knots and even how to craft three kinds of kites. You’ll be surprised at how much knowledge can fit into one book. Get ready to improve your lifestyle by living sustainably with this informative guide.
The Seed to Pantry Planner
The go-to book for DIY farmers, this yearly planner allows you to organize your monthly, weekly and daily responsibilities and includes menu planning sheets that take into account the preparation you’ll need if you intend on preserving through canning or dehydrating.
Ever wonder how to accurately multiply recipes or figure out how much crop you need to plant based on the number of family members you’d like to feed? This book makes those challenges seem manageable and will get you excited about stocking your pantry with vegetables, herbs and roots that you planted and harvested yourself.
Canning for a New Generation
In this expanded edition, Krissoff brings us 50 new food preservation recipes, including delicious brandied cherries, peach salsa and honeyed bread and butter pickles. She encourages us to use canning throughout the entire year by organizing her recipes by season and utilizing easy techniques that will help novice canners feel empowered in the kitchen.
And not to worry, if you have a diet concern but want recipes for delicious recipes, she also provides low-sugar or sugar-free preserves. When you’d like to try other methods of preserving your food, she also includes old-stye fermenting recipes and new freezing techniques. Once you have mastered how to can your food properly, she includes recipes on how you can use your canned goods to make tasty meals.
Homegrown & Handmade
After discovering the amount of shocking ingredients in our everyday food products, Niemann sought out healthier and more sustainable alternatives that don’t simply benefit ourselves but our planet as well.
Growing your own food allows you to know that the food you consume is free from artificial ingredients and reduces your carbon footprint. Begin your journey toward leading a more mindful life with this accessible guide that proves that anyone has the potential to start taking control of the food that nourishes us.
Farmstead Chef
Even though big companies would like to keep it a secret, the truth is that we can cook delicious homegrown meals that satisfy our cravings while helping our planet. This book provides budget-friendly meals that can be prepared with ingredients grown in our backyards, including zucchini feta pancakes, strawberry dessert pizza and winter squash fritters.
Not only a cookbook, the Farmstead Chef also provides “Kitchen Table” features like interviews with changemakers that envision transformative food systems and essays highlighting the authors’ homestead and bed and breakfast, Serendipity. It will encourage you to reconnect with Mother Earth and start digging in the dirt!
DIY Projects for the Self-Sufficient Homeowner
This book will help you feel more confident in practicing your sustainable lifestyle with step-by-step projects and resources for solar, hydro, greenhouse and gardening needs. You’ll no longer feel dependent on city systems and be able to take care of your basic needs independently. Even if you only have a few planting pots to spare, this book will give you tips on how you can take tiny steps toward being more environmentally conscious.
Home-Grown Harvest
Whether you're ready to completely change your lifestyle or just want to learn more about leading a self-sufficient existence, this book will educate you on the best practices to grow your own produce and preserve your crops while producing your own energy through solar and wind power. Learn how to brew your own beer and keep livestock like chickens, goats and pigs.
You’ll feel incredibly accomplished once you’re sitting down for a meal that you put the time and energy into producing. It will reward you with the nutrients it provides as well as the mental wellness it fosters by allowing you to spend time in nature.
Featured photo: Sandie Clarke / Unsplash
